Interview with Dianne Greyson, founder of the #Ethnicity Pay Gap Campaign.

Christabelle Quaynor
Sep 29
4 min read

The theme for Black History Month UK 2025 is “Standing Firm in Power and Pride”, celebrating the resilience and strength of the Black community. This year, we shine a spotlight on Black leaders shaping history and driving change. Dianne Greyson is one of those leaders.

Think about the workplaces you’ve been in or conferences you’ve attended – how many leaders are Black or Minoritised Ethnic? Are any non-British born?

It's not just you – these experiences reflect the ethnicity pay gap, a widespread phenomenon showing how labour can be undervalued and racialised. It’s often misunderstood as two people of different races doing the same job for different pay, but it actually reflects occupational segregation: underrepresentation in senior roles, overrepresentation in lower-paid roles, and consistently lower earnings for Black, African, Caribbean, or Black British employees since 2012.

Equity in pay is a crucial tool for upholding anti-racist principles and reducing intergenerational inequality in marginalised communities. At Voice4Change England, we’ve advocated for transparency and action, but there’s a wider story behind the gap. To explore this, we spoke with Dianne Greyson, founder of the Ethnicity Pay Gap Campaign, whose work drives systemic change.

Q: Tell us a bit more about yourself.

A: My name is Dianne Greyson, I am the founder of the Ethnicity Pay Gap Campaign. The Campaign started in 2018 and, as you alluded to before in your opening statement, we have campaigned to make Ethnicity Pay Gap reporting mandatory to report. And not just that – it's also about doing the work to make sure actions are taken to reduce the gap, so people are paid equitably within organisations.

Q: What's one thing about the Ethnicity Pay Gap Campaign that you wish more people understood or paid attention?

A: There’s more than one thing. When I started in 2018, I was struck by an article showing the UK’s ethnic pay gap at £3.2 billion. That figure took my breath away and I suspect it’s grown, since little has been done and no recent research has updated it. We know the problem is widespread across industries, yet awareness is still low, even among minority communities themselves.

That’s why raising awareness is so important. For example, research on the impact of the pay gap on Black women showed they often received little or no support when challenging their organisations. That’s unacceptable. There needs to be proper support systems in place for employees, not just conversations about what organisations should do.

To help, my co-researcher and I created an aid memoir, available on our website, to give employees practical guidance. But much more needs to be done because addressing the Ethnicity Pay Gap takes a real toll on individuals, and they shouldn’t have to face it alone.

Q: Have you seen or witnessed any particular industries or sectors that are leading the way or falling behind?

A: From what I’ve seen, the financial and marketing sectors are falling behind, and I’d also include the food sector, where there are significant challenges.

In terms of leading the way, I wouldn’t single out a specific organisation, but I was impressed by a local authority that not only published their data but also committed to long-term action. That’s crucial, because it’s not enough to share the numbers. The real work comes after, and it can take years to address. If an organisation has an Ethnicity Pay Gap, it usually signals deeper issues, so tackling it helps drive wider change as well.

Q: This work can be emotionally difficult and reveal how deeply entrenched some of these inequities are. What keeps you going?

A: It’s the desire for change. I’m passionate about this, and it doesn’t feel like a chore. It feels like something I have to do. There’s a saying: if not me, then who? I’ve chosen to take up the challenge because I want to see the government make ethnicity pay gap reporting law.

Time is short. If it doesn’t happen before the current government leaves office, we risk going back to square one with a new administration. That’s why we must keep pushing. Reaching the consultation stage is not the end. It’s just the beginning. We need to keep raising awareness and holding the government to account on their promises until this becomes law.

Q: What’s next for the Ethnicity Pay Gap Campaign?

A: I want to raise the profile of the Campaign. I believe it should be valued as much as any other organisations such as Runnymede or the Fawcett Society. Everyone talks about gender - and rightly so - but the gender pay gap can’t truly be closed unless the ethnicity pay gap is addressed, because of the double challenges faced by Black, Asian and other minoritised women. I want the Campaign to be respected and recognised in the same way as other influential organisations, and that’s what I’ll be pushing for: to make sure we get the respect we deserve.

Q: And what do you like to do to unwind?

A: I run in the morning, which clears my head, allowing me to clear my thoughts. I’ve also started a well-being strategy for myself, because I realised I wasn’t making time for myself and was putting all my efforts into everything else. Occasionally, I go to the spa or sauna, and try to fit in going to the theatre, or a musical event. It’s not about how often you do these things, but making sure you incorporate them into life so you’re not drowning in everything you’re doing.

Achieving socioeconomic equity is central to anti-racism.